NFL notes: Reed HOF induction gives Bills cause to celebrate

BUFFALO, N.Y. — There are two things receiver Andre Reed is most certain of in preparing to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this weekend.

Associated Press

BUFFALO, N.Y. — There are two things receiver Andre Reed is most certain of in preparing to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this weekend.

The eight-year wait to hear his name called really didn't feel that long. More important, the timing of the announcement in February was fitting given the sudden uncertainty hovering over his beloved Buffalo Bills.

Jim Kelly, the Hall of Fame quarterback and face of the franchise, is in a weakened state while battling cancer. And Ralph Wilson, the team's Hall of Fame owner, died in March. The Bills are on the market, with concerns of the franchise potentially relocating under a new owner.

As a result, Reed views his induction as something capable of providing anyone who's ever had a connection to the Bills a joyous diversion by giving them a reason to celebrate Saturday night.

"This is bigger than me," Reed said. "We all know what's going on with the team and all that stuff. This is like a breath of fresh air. I'm glad I'm at the forefront of this, because there's something to be happy about."

Going from Kutztown State, a Division II school in Pennsylvania, to Canton, Ohio, Reed sparked more than a few celebrations during his 16-year NFL career, the first 15 spent in Buffalo.

When he retired after the 2000 season, Reed ranked third on the NFL list with 951 catches, fourth with 13,198 yards receiving and sixth with 87 touchdowns receiving. He was an integral part of a Kelly-quarterbacked and Marv Levy-coached team that won four consecutive AFC championships from 1990-93, but each time lost in the Super Bowl.

The team was built by former general manager Bill Polian, and has now produced six Hall of Famers, rounded out by Kelly, Levy, defensive end Bruce Smith, running back Thurman Thomas and receiver James Lofton.

Despite a wiry, 6-foot-2, 190-pound frame, Reed was fearless in going across the middle to make catches in traffic in what was dubbed the Bills' "K-Gun" no-huddle offense.

"He was a slot receiver long before there was such a position," Polian said, noting that defenses first used linebackers to cover Reed. "He had to go in there in that traffic and do very heavy work."

Reed was driven to prove himself after going mostly overlooked before the Bills drafted him with the 86th pick in 1985.

He can still recall being seated on the same flight as Smith — the Bills' No. 1 draft pick — on his first trip to Buffalo.

"I was young and raw," Reed recalled. "I came from humble beginnings. I'm not saying nobody else did, but I had to be better than everybody else to get that eye looking at me."

The attention finally found him. Reed was a seven-time Pro Bowl selection. He became Kelly's most trusted target, with the two hooking up 663 times to set an NFL record which was broken by the Colts' Peyton Manning and Marvin Harrison in 2004.

Kelly unfazed as fists fly at camp

PHILADELPHIA — This Eagles' defense won't be pushed around.

For the second straight day at Philadelphia's training camp, a fight broke out between an offensive and defensive player. Cornerback Bradley Fletcher took on wide receiver Jeremy Maclin on Monday. Linebacker Trent Cole got into it with All-Pro running back LeSean McCoy a day earlier.

"Their emotions got the better part of them," said Eagles coach Chip Kelly, a New Hampshire native and former University of New Hampshire assistant coach. "Those things happen. It's no different than sometimes little kids don't get along very well and throw Tonka trucks at each other. It's not a real big deal."

A bigger surprise for Kelly since his transition from Oregon to the NFL is the "hype" surrounding the draft. "The fact that people would watch the Combine; there's times at the Combine where I fall asleep," Kelly said. "So I don't know why people watch it on television. They are running 40-yard dashes."

Cardinals find gem in sixth-round pick

GLENDALE, Ariz. — In one season, Andre Ellington has gone from sixth-round draft pick to dynamic featured back for the Arizona Cardinals.

Team after team passed on Ellington until Arizona made him the 187th player chosen in that draft. He wasn't even the first running back the Cardinals chose. Stanford's Stepfan Taylor went to Arizona in the fifth round.

Ellington, elusive and exceedingly quick, turned out to be a hidden gem.

After amassing a combined 1,023 yards rushing and receiving as a rookie, Ellington's role for the Cardinals has expanded — as long as the 5-foot-9, 199-pound former Clemson standout can withstand the added punishment a higher profile will bring,

"I'm very confident," Ellington said. "Last year I wasn't aware of what my role would be on the team. But now I kind of have an idea."

Suh is entering the final season of his contract, and team president Tom Lewand and general manager Martin Mayhew said before practice Monday that negotiations are being tabled. Lewand and Mayhew both expressed optimism that a deal can eventually be reached.

"He's told me he wants to be here. I have a good relationship with him," Mayhew said. "I know I want him to be here. I don't know what else to tell you."

Suh talked to reporters after practice, but he didn't want to discuss his contract situation.

"It won't be a distraction to me," Suh said. "I'm just out here playing football and having fun."

Lewand said Detroit's salary-cap situation isn't the reason for the delay in an agreement.

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